Design Opportunity: Style in the Stairs
From ornate iron scrollwork to spiral-cut wood dowels, balustrades are great supporting acts
Becky Harris
August 24, 2011
Houzz Contributor. Hi there! I live in a 1940s cottage in Atlanta that I'll describe as "collected."
I got into design via Landscape Architecture, which I studied at the University of Virginia.
Houzz Contributor. Hi there! I live in a 1940s cottage in Atlanta that I'll describe... More
Are you always looking for design opportunities you may be missing? Staircase railings and their supports (a.k.a. "balustrades") exist primarily for safety and to help homes pass codes, so we tend to overlook all of the design potential for these elements. Here are a very wide range of styles and ideas for exploiting this often-missed design opportunity to the maximum.
Convinced, but not sure where to find such fine handiwork where you live? Search for metal artists, metalcrafters and fine carpenters in your region. Often times you can collaborate with them and come up with a design that's truly unique.
Convinced, but not sure where to find such fine handiwork where you live? Search for metal artists, metalcrafters and fine carpenters in your region. Often times you can collaborate with them and come up with a design that's truly unique.
A balustrade full of exquisite iron scrollwork is the only sort of element that can match the power of this long curved staircase, especially when viewed from this breathtaking angle.
There is something rather fabulously Art Noveau and fabulously Cruella de Vil about these dramatic staircase railings. They almost look like they are dancing.
Conversely, there is something very matter-of-fact about this railing and its support system. It's almost as though oversized screws were fastened to the floor for safety with a railing placed on top of them. The contrast of the black metal against the warm knotty floors is striking.
This industrial piece is very interesting; at the point where the slant meets the horizontal railing at the landing, no transition is made, giving the diagonal more of a presence and drawing the eye to the slanted lines.
This reflective opaque glass gives the entire staircase volume from the top of the railing to the bottom of the stairs. It gives the staircase its own geometric presence and gives its diagonal lines more weight.
While renovating a house that was built on-spec, designer Mark Cravotta replaced a sheetrocked pony wall around a staircase's second-floor opening. In its place, he designed a steel and glass panel system with a hand-hewn walnut handrail, which opened up the home to additional views from floor to floor, and opened it up to more natural light.
See the rest of this lake house in Austin.
See the rest of this lake house in Austin.
There's a wonderful contrast between these chunky rectilinear stairs and these whimsically curved spindles. The resulting space looks like a surrealist painting that has come to life.
Here the choice of clear glass lets the shape and material of the gorgeous wooden stairs stand out as they should.
This house combines traditional Mexican, Moroccan, and modern styles. The ornate scrolls provide a contrast to the modern exterior, yet play off the circular window. Check out the fun shadows they make on the balcony.
See the rest of this Mexican/Moroccan/Modern mash-up
See the rest of this Mexican/Moroccan/Modern mash-up
Rustic chic cabins utilize branch shapes on railings to add to the outdoorsy feeling.
This industrial railing is a work of art; it resembles a game of Pick Up Stix laid flat and painted black.
Architect Christian Dauer crafted 200 of these turned maple balusters himself and gave them to his clients as a housewarming gift.
"I fabricated these with a hand-operated German threading jig that turns ordinary wood dowels into spiral cut, threaded rods" Dauer says. "We painted them to highlight their shadow lines as well as to contrast the naturally finished Douglas fir rails. In series, the balusters resemble both a finely turned piece of woodwork and a raw piece of building hardware."
See the rest of this beautiful renovation.
See the rest of this beautiful renovation.
Of course, traditionally carved spindles with a polished wooden handrail can transition into many different home styles, whether colonial or contemporary. Choice of paint and stain helps this kind of balustrade adapt.
This railing design at the top of the stairs incorporates a Greek key pattern at the top, has an Arts and Crafts feel, yet also fits in with the modern art and contemporary design of the house.
This industrial metalwork acts as sculpture, screen, and code-passing safety barrier. There's a contrast between the design's resemblance to light bubbles and the heavy material from which it is crafted.
More:
Artful Stairs: Continuity in Steel
The Up and Down of it: Staircases as Focal Point
What's Hiding Under the Stairs
More:
Artful Stairs: Continuity in Steel
The Up and Down of it: Staircases as Focal Point
What's Hiding Under the Stairs
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Are you looking for wood stairs? Check out Wood Railling.
https://awoodrailing.com/